Machine for making knockdown barrels or crates.



E. W. ROBINSON. l MACHINE POR MAKING KNOGKDOWN BARRELS 0R GRATBS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1910. i' 985,064. Patented Feb.21, 1911.

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E. W. ROBINSON. MACHINE F011 MAKING KNOGKDOWN BARRBLS 0R GRATES.

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Patented v11111211911 APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14. 1910.

PETERS co4, WASHINGTON, n. c.

E. W. ROBINSON. MACHINE PoR MAKING KNOGKDOWN BARRBLS 0R oRATBs.'

`APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14. 1910.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

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Patented Feb. 21, 1911 N ca., wAsHlNaroN, n. c.

E. W. ROBINSON. MACHINE FORMAKING KNOCKDOWN BARRELS 0R GRATES. APPLIUATION FILED JUNI: 14. 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

EDWARD W. ROBINSON, OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR TO TRUCKERS CRATE AND BARREL COMPANY, 0F SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, A CORPORATION OF GEORGIA.

MACHINE FOR MAKING KNOCKDOWN BARRELS OR CRATES.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDWARD W. ROBIN- soiv, a citizen of the United States, residing at Savannah, in the county of Chatham and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Waking Knockdown Barrels or Crates, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to machines for making' slatted sections to be used as knockdown crates, or barrels and has special refcrence to machines of this character by means of which slats are secured together at intervals by wires twisted about said slats.

The invention has for its object to provide an improved machine of this character which will be simple in construction and effective in operation.

r he invent-ion consists y of an improved machine for making slatted sections for knockdown crates or barrels and in details of construction thereof, as hereinafter set ferth and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a machine constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a side view thereof in longitudinal section on the line of Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a detail view partly in longitudinal section and broken away of a portion of the machine for feeding the slats. Fig. 4 is a pian view of the machine. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view in pers ective of one of the wire twisters detachec. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view in longitudinal section of a rotary bar. Fig. 7 is an end view of the machine in cross section on the line Y-Y of Fig. t showing the means for feeding the slats to the machine. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view of one of the beveled driving gear wheels taken on the line S-S of Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view in transverse section of the intermittingly acting gear wheels. .Fig 10 is an enlarged detail view of a clutch disk taken on the line Z-Z of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail view showing the mechanism for operating the twisters taken on the line M-M of Fig. 11. Fig. 12 is an enlarged detail view partly in cross section showing the means for cutting the wires Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 14, 1910.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

Serial No. 566,837.

an enlarged detail view showing the means for preventing the feed rollers from turning backward. F ig. 15 is an enlarged detail view in longitudinal section of a portion of one of the twisters. Fig. 16 is an enlarged detail view in perspective of the blade for cutting the wires.

In carrying out the invention a number of drums 1 are provided on which the wires for connecting the slats are wound. The drums 1 may be of any suitable construction and as here shown preferably formed with anumber of disks 2 and are each mounted in a U- shaped frame 3 having a rearwardly projecting rod 4, which extends through a hole in an upright support or post 5, and is held to turn therein by means of a number of disks G through which the rod 4c extends, said disks having race ways and ball bearings 7 located between their adjacent faces, and the several parts being held in position on the upright or post 5 by means of nut 8, the uprights 5 mounted on a floor 9 and braced by means of diagonal braces 10. Upon the drums 1 are mounted wires 11 indicated in the drawing by broken lines, said wires 11 extending through longitudinal holes or passage ways 12 in a short shaft 13 of a toothed wheel 145, there being a number of said toothed wheels 141 geared together as shown in Fig. 11 and mounted in bearings 15 on an upright 16 screwed to the iioor 9. This train of toothed wheels meshes together and is driven by a large wheel 17 meshing with one of the wheels 14 and formed on its periphery at intervals with teeth 18, whereby an intermittent motion is imparted to the train of gear wheels 14. The large gear wheel 17 is mounted on a main driving shaft 19, said gear wheel 17 being preferably formed in two parts clamped together so that it may be removed from the main shaft 19 and other wheels substituted therefor, having a different arrangement of teeth. The main driving shaft 19 is mounted on uprights 2O secured to the floor 9 and is driven by any suitable means, as for example, by a pulley 21 mounted on the shaft 19 and connected by a belt (not shown) with any suitable powereither electricity, steam or gas. Thefshaft 13 :is provided with a threaded socket 22 in whichli's detachablymounted the threaded end 22 kof therod 23 extending from the cross bar24 khaving at .its ends grooved -pulleys 25, the whole forming a twister for twisting the wires, a number of such twist-` ersbeing provided and arranged'in a row corresponding with the row of toothed wheels 14, said twisters beingeachV held in` its socket by a nut 24".

As shown the wires 11 extend from the drums '1 through the short shaft 13and over the grooved pulleys 25 at the ends of the cross bar 24 ofl each of the twisters,'said wires entendinglforward A to the Vtable overwhich the slats, as the wires are twistedabout them, arecarried.

The-table over which the slats are carried is of'any suitable constructiom and as here shown consists of a frame work formed of Y pairs of upper 'and lower longitudinalV bars 26 spaced apart from each other, and up- Y rights 26 at one end. Mounted in uprightsk 27,'located at intervals -apart and each side of the frame, are rotary.` shafts 2S on which are mounted toothed "wheels 29 engaging and operated by endless chains 30. Mounted atthe Vend of the frame at its top and Y opposite the twisters is a cross piece 31 having depressions 31', on whichfa slat rests Vwhen it is pushedfinto position to have the rying it forward on the belts or endless chains.; 30. A Communicating with the bar and in alinement is a trough 32 in wliieh'-as shown in FigA-fis a slat33 which is moved on to the bar 31 by means of a piston 34,

anda piston rod 34. The piston 34 is operated by any suitable means, and as here shown is preferably operatedby pneumatic means; and this is provided by vmeans of an air tank 35 from which air vis supplied Vthrough a three way kcock 3G, connecting with av branch pipe 37 which .communicates vwith the cylinder 37 in which the piston f 34! reciprocates. Airis supplied to the tankv 35 by l'means of a pipe 38 which leads to the y cylinder 39 of an Vair vpump having its piston 40 `connected with an eccentric 41 on the Shaft 19; i Y

v'In' orderl that an intermittent timed move-V ment may be imparted to they mechanism for operating the twisters and also to Vthe mechanismy for lfeeding the slats forward afterthewire has been'twisted about the same, :suitable mechanismv is provided, and

f as here shown preferably constructed as follows :.i-Mount'ed-on the driving shaft19 and connected thereto by a feather or spline, so

as to slide' thereon, Ais a tapering Aclutch 42 having a disk 43 on which are mounted buttons or projections 44as shown in Fig. 19, adapted to b e brought in contact with a button 45 on a post 46 projecting from the floor 9, as the shaft 19 rotates. The tapering clutch 42 is adapted to be seated and held in locked engagement with a correspondingly taperingsocket 47 projecting from a toothed `gear wheel 48 iXed to said shaft 19. The tapering clutch 42 is normally held ont of engagement with the Vsocket 47 by means of a tension spring 42 which encircles the shaft 19 and bears at one end against'a eollar, 43 on the shaft 19 and at its other end against vthe disk 43. In the position lshown in Fig. 9, the clutch 42 is in locked engagement with thesocket 47, one ofthe buttons 44 being in engagementv with the button 45 on the post 46, as shown in Figzvl, thereby holding t-he spring 42 under tension. Asl the shaft 19 is rotated tov release the button 44 and the button 45, the spring 42 by .its reaction pulls Athc tapering clutch 42 out of engagement with the socket 47. The toothed wheel 4S meshes'with the toothed wheel 49,

which is fixed to one ofthe shafts 28. Slid ably mounted on said shaft 28 and connected therewith by a spline or feather, so as to turn the said shaft, is a tapering wedge 50 adapted to be locked with said wheel 49 by being seated in a correspondingly shaped socket 51 in said wheel. Engaging the ta, pering wedge 50 is a lever 52, pivoted at one end to a post 52, projecting from the floor 9 and'having a button or projection 53 at its other end, which is adapted to bear against the button 54 on the wheel 49, and thereby, when the button 54 is brought in contact with the button 53, push back the lever 52 and release the wedge 50 from the wheel 49. When the clutch is so pushed back it compresses a spring 55 encircling the shaft 28 and bearing at one end against the clutch 50 and at its other end' against a, head 56 on tbe endofthe shaft 28. By means of these two clutch devices, just described, `an intermittenttimed movement is imparted to the train of gearing which operates the twistersand also to the toothed wheels 29, so that, as each slat 33 is pushed by thepiston 31, a wire 11 will be twisted about the slat 33 and the latter will then be moved forward by the wheels 29 and then held until another slat has been pushed on to the bar 31 when, by the action of the clutch gearmechanism, `the twisters will again be set in motion and the wires twisted around the slat and the slat moved forward, The distance on the feed frame from end to end of the endless feed. bands 30 is such as to sustain a number of slats connected together by the wires twisted about the same, said slats being'spaced at intervals owing to said inter* mittent timed movement, the length of said spaced slats connected together by wires be ing suiiicient to form a crate or barrel. It is therefore necessary to separate such sections, and for this purpose means is provided for cutting the wires, so as to provide a section of wired slats.

In F 7 is shown a vertical hopper, or casing 57 in which the slats 33 are inclosed, the slats resting on top of a slat located in the trough 32. The cutting means consists. as here shown, preferably, of an elongated blade 5S which extends across the top of the frame on which the slats are fed and is located at the rear of the endless chains 30 and has its ends provided with short vertical rods 59 having a disk shaped head 60, atthe upper end of each rod 59, said rods 59 being located in a vertical casing 61 on each side of the frame in which is located a coil spring 62 surrounding the rod 59, one end of said spring bearing against the underside of the head and its other end against the bottom of said casing 6l. The knife 58 is normally held above the top of the frame by the tension of the springs 62 and is pulled down to cut the wires between two slats by suitable mechanism and as here shown, preferably by a lever 63, pivoted at one end to the lower end of the rods 59 and at its other end to a small cam 64 pivoted to an upright 65 mounted on the frame, said cam 64 being acted on by an arm 66 mounted on a toothed wheel 67, which in turn is mounted on a shaft 68, supported by an upright 69 on each side of the frame and operated by means ofV an endless belt 70, which connects with a rear toothed wheel Q9 by means of a small pulley or geared wheel 29 on the shaft 28, thereby transmitting a slow motion through the endless belt 70 to the wheel 67, so as to cause the arm 66 to be brought around periodically in the revolution of the wheel. 67 into and out of engagement with the cams 64, thereby timing the movement of the knife 5S, so as to cause it to act and cut off the wires when the desired number of wired slats have passed by the knife 58. It will be understood that these parts are duplicated, that is to say, are on each side of the frame so that when a section of slats wired together have passed beyond the knife 5S and on to the endless chains 7l extending over the toothed-wheels 72 in the frame 7 3, said section of wired slats is separated by cutting the wires between two slats which have been brought beneath theknife, said cutting operation being timed by the inter mittentmovement of the locking gear mechanism, as hereinbefore set forth. The :trames 73 and 26 are separated by a vertical space or gap 74 and thereby permit the knife to pass below the top of said frame in cutting the wires, as shown in Fig. 12.

The buttons or projections 44 may be adjusted radially on the disk 43, so as to adjust the same for the timed movement of the parts, said adjustment being shown in Fig. 1.3, where the button 44 provided with a flanged portion 44, which is slidable in a slot 43, is held by a vset screw 45.

In order that the toothed wheels 29 and 67 may not turn backward by the pull of the wire slats they are provided with suit` able means for that purpose, as for exam` ple, by the device shown in Fig. 14 which consists of a ratchet wheel 75 mounted on the end of the shafts 2S or 68 and controlled by a pawl 76 Vpivoted to the frame From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the slats being fed downwardone at a time -from the hopper or casing, will be moved into position between the wires, so that the latter may be twisted about the slats, said movement taking place in one revolution of the twisters, said movement then stopping owing` to the clutch gear device hereinbefore set forth and then in the further movement of the main driving shaft the feed mechanism being brought into play and feeding the wired slats forward and then stopping, a successive slat being fed from the trough to the bar at the front end of the feed frame or table by the intermittent timed movement, and the previously wired slat being moved forward. By this intermittent timed movement a section of spaced slats are wired together and moved beyond the cutting blade and the wires then separated, and this operation being repeated section after section of wired ,slats are fed forward to a suitable place of deposit.

Having described the invention I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, a set of rotary frames each containing a wire drum, sets of rotary twisting devices in alinement with said drums, feeding mechanism for engaging and drawing forward sets of wired slats, means for moving one slat at a time on to said feeding mechanism in front of said twisters, and an intermittent timed operating mechanism for intermittingly operating said twisters and drums and said feed mechanism.

2. In a machine of the character described, sets of rotary frames, a rotary drum for coiling the wire about it in each frame, a train of gear mechanism in alinement with said drums, rotary wire twisting devices connected with said gear mechanism, a feed mechanism located in front of said twisting devices, means for feeding one slat at a time in front of said twisting devices on to said feed mechanism, means for cutting oft' sections of slats connected together and an intermittingly timed mechanism for intermittingly operating said twisters and drums and said feed mechanism and said cutting mechanism.

3. In a machine of the character described, a number of wire winding reels, a number of rotary twisters located in ad- "vance of said reels and each comprisingY a rotary shaft and a cross head, a frame havsupport provided with rotary toothed wheels for engagement with said slats after wires have been twisted about the same, a second feed mechanism provided with: toothed wheels forengagingsaid slats, 'acutting device located between said feed mechanisms, and intermittent timed operating mechanisms for intermittingly rotating said twisters, feeding a section of'slats forward and cutting ofi the twisted slats in section.

Y t. In a machine of the character described, a number of rotaryv wire winding drums Vformed with spaced disks, a train of gear wheels arranged in advancecf said drums, the shaft of each of'saidgear wheels formed with a passageway for the passage of wires from the drums, T shaped'twisters, provided with guide rollers and detachably mounted in the shafts of said gear wheels, a frame located inadvancefof said twisters provided with two sets lof feed mechanisms, a ycutting device located between said" sets of feed mechanisms, a Asupport for a slat at, the forward end of said frame, a trough connected with said support, a cylinder and piston connected with said trough, meansV for supplying slats one ata time to v*said trough, and an intermittingly acting driving mechanism connected Awith said gear wheels of the Vtwisters and with the feed mechanisms and the cutting `device whereby as the wires are twisted about the slats and they are fed forward a step bystep motion will begiven to the-wiredslats',

5. In a machine of the character de- Y scribed, a number of rotary Vframes having ball bearing supports, a wire winding drum mounted in the frame, a trainofrtoothed wheels geared together, each of said wheels having a short shaft with a threadedsocket,

a number Vof T shaped twisters having guide rollers and detachably" mounted in said shaft,`a frame, two sets of feed mechanisms in said frame each consisting Vof r`rotary shafts and setsV of beveled slots on said shafts, endless belts connecting said toothedl wheels, said toothed'wheels serving to feed forward thev slats, a verticalfmovlable cutting blade located between said feed mechanism, an intermittingly operated,` mecha- Y nism connecting said blades with said feed- 65.Y Vandvmeans `for automatically throwing said ing mechanism, a mechanism for feeding slats successively to the front of said frame, a main driving shaft',a mutilated gear wheel on said shaft connected with said train of gear wheels, a` beveled gearing connecting said driving shaft with the feed mechanism,

gear mechanism into and out of' engagement so as to intermittently operate said feed mechanism.

6. In a machine of the character described, a number of rotary wire winding drums, a number of T shaped twisters located in advance of said drums, an intermittingly operated mechanism for intermittingly operating said twisters, a frame having sets of feed mechanisms, a vertically movable knife located between said feed mechanisms, and a cam operating mechanismy connected with said vertically movable knife,'and intermittently operated by said feed mechanisms, a gear mechanism connected with the feed mechanism, means for automatically moving said gear mechanism into and out of operative position, and means vfor moving slats successively into position to be connected by the twisting wires and to be fed forward by the feed mechanisms. f

'7. In a machine vrof the character described, a train of toothed wheels each having a short shaft with passage ways through the same, a T shaped twister detachably mounted in each of said shafts and provided wit-h guide rollers, a main driving shaft, a mutilated gear wheelA connected with said set of gear wheels, va frame, sets of feed mechanisms mounted in said frame and consisting of rotary shafts, wheels with teeth projecting from their. periphery mounted on said shafts, endless belts connecting said wheels, a cutting devicelocated between said sets of feed mechanisms,a cam mechanism connected with said cutting device and with said feed mechanisms, a. beveled gear wheel mounted on the main driving shaft, a beveled gear wheel mounted on one of the shafts of thefeed mechanisms and meshing with said first named gear wheel and an automatically operating spring controlled clutch movable into and out of engagement with each of said beveled gear wheels for producing 'a timed intermittent movement thereto.

8.4 In -a machine ofy the character described, vfeed mechanism for feeding wired slats` consisting of a frame having two sets of vfeed mechanisms, each consisting of transverse rotary shafts, sets of wheels kmounted on said shaft, each wheel being scribed, two sets of feed mechanisms, a vertically movable knife located between said sets of feed mechanisms, springs for holding said knife in an elevated position, and a cam lever mechanism connected with said knife and with said feed mechanisms.

l0. In a machine of the character described, a set of rotary wire winding drums, a set of rotary T shaped wire twisters with guide pulleys located .in advance of said drums, a main driving shaft, a train of gearing for rotating said twisters, a mutilated gear wheel on said driving shaft connecting said gearing, a frame, sets of feed mechanisms in said frame consisting of rotary shafts, sets of toothed wheels mounted on said shafts, endless belts connecting said shafts and wheels, operative mechanisms connecting said feed mechanisms, a beveled gear wheel on one of the rotary shafts of said feed mechanisms, said wheel having buttons on its face, a clutch on said shaft movable into and out of engagement with said beveled gear wheel, and having a pivoted lever with a knob at its end and a ten sion spring on said shaft bearing against the clutch, a second beveled wheel mounted on the main driving shaft, and meshing with the first named gear wheel, a clutch on said shaft movable into and out of engagement with said beveled gear wheel, and having a disk provided with buttons adjacent to its periphery, a tension spring normally holding said clutch out of engagementwith said beveled gear wheel, and a post having a button or projection adapted to be engaged by the buttons or projections on said disk, and means for feeding one slat at a time into position to be engaged by the wires and feeding the slats forward after the wires have been twisted about the same.

11. In a machine of the character described, a set of rotary frames each mounted on a fixed support and containing a wire winding drum mounted transversely therein, a set of rotary twisting devices each in alinementwith one of said drums, a feedingmechanism located in advance of said twisting devices, and provided with means for engaging and drawing forward the wired slats, means for moving one slat at a time on to said feeding mechanism in front of said twisters, and an intermittent timed operating mechanism connected with said slat feeding mechanism and said twisters, and adapted to intermittingly operate said twisters and said feeding mechanism. j

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDVARD W. ROBNSON.

Witnesses:

JAMES H. BYINGTON, GEORGE H. MEINERT. 

